1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to female electrical contacts having a resilient contacting strip for the purpose of maintaining reliable connection with matching male electrical contacts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Female electrical contacts having a resilient contacting strip for the purpose of maintaining reliable connection with matching male electrical contacts are known, for example, female contacts described in Japanese UM Publication Nos. 1987-20144 and 1983-62564. Since the resilient contacting strip of this type is bent at the from end of the female contact and the male contact is inserted well inside toward the back end, the bent section of the resilient contacting strip should have sufficient resiliency in order to maintain reliable connection with the male contact.
When a male contact is inserted in a female contact having such a resilient contacting strip not straight but at an angle, there is danger that the tip of the male contact will exert downward pressure on the resilient contacting strip and will deform it more than it is necessary, which can result in the loss of the initial resilience of the resilient contacting strip. In order to prevent such downward deformation of the contacts previously cited, protrusions are provided which come in contact with the free end of the resilient contacting strip and restrict the downward movement over a predetermined amount when a male contact is inserted.